Read on Twitter
Yesterday was #bandcampfriday and I made the bold move to use twitter ads to see how I would do. Time to get real: I'm going to completely rethink the way I use twitter for music. Insights with explanations below. Maybe some #gameaudio folks will find this helpful. (1/10)
I thought it would be an excellent time to test out twitter ads on something practical: album sales. Something we hear a lot of when it comes to media engagement on twitter is, "don't post links; post video or photos because they do better". (2/10)
As you can see above, this is true for views. Many people viewed the video -- organically. But as you can see, out of a whopping 14,386 promoted impressions, 5 people didn't really pay it any mind.
Even more staggeringly, 1 person actually clicked the link in the video. (3/10)
Even more staggeringly, 1 person actually clicked the link in the video. (3/10)
What about direct links? How do they fare? Well, out of a total 5000+ impressions, 7 people clicked on the link. The organic:promoted ratio is also much higher. Because my goal was more visits to bandcamp for #bandcampfriday, THIS would have been more effective. (4/10)
"Okay Leiss, but what about sales? You were promoting yourself all day. Surely you've got something to show for it."
This is the most important part, and every musician needs to hear this. So sit down. (5/10)
This is the most important part, and every musician needs to hear this. So sit down. (5/10)
Everyone who supported me yesterday was one of the following:
1) someone I am good friends with or have really connected with
2) supported me in the past (bandcamp follower)
3) saw me post on slack or another site
(6/10)
1) someone I am good friends with or have really connected with
2) supported me in the past (bandcamp follower)
3) saw me post on slack or another site
(6/10)
What can we learn from this?
It makes completely no sense to advertise to strangers, or even followers who are just beginning to get to know you. Existing connections will make up the bulk of your support and more personal, intimate platforms are better for this. (7/10)
It makes completely no sense to advertise to strangers, or even followers who are just beginning to get to know you. Existing connections will make up the bulk of your support and more personal, intimate platforms are better for this. (7/10)
My takeaway: I've used ads a lot these last couple of months to find likeminded devs, creators and people who would be interested in my work and to find new gigs. Their validation and interest in my creations has been WONDERFUL, but I haven't been able to make ends meet. (8/10)
It was rather surprising to learn that even if a link/url is in a video, it's still far less enticing to click on than just a bandcamp link. This means twitter video previews are a great way to tease upcoming music, but not optimal to promote music that's already out. (9/10)
If I hadn't spent a single dollar on advertising yesterday, the outcome would've been the same, and I probably wouldn't have annoyed as many people!
So for those of you sitting on the fence and wondering about twitter ads for promo, hopefully this answers some questions. (10/10)
So for those of you sitting on the fence and wondering about twitter ads for promo, hopefully this answers some questions. (10/10)
